Get Rid of Raccoons

Despite their innocent looking, cute little faces, raccoons actually have quite a reputation for being mischievous and destructive. Raccoons often knock down trash cans and uproot gardens and sod in search of a meal. Raccoons may also carry and transmit diseases such as rabies or roundworm. Raccoons are capable of becoming aggressive and biting humans or other animals when they are rabid or feel threatened.

There are 4 Steps to getting rid of raccoon pests. When it comes to getting rid of raccoons, there is no magic spray or repellent. These chemicals and other products like sound devices are really just gimmicks. The only proven way to get rid of a raccoon is through preventing access, limiting food sources, and trapping and removal.

Step 1) Prevent Access

It is a little known fact that adult raccoons can fit through an opening as small as 3" to 4" in diameter. To prevent access, you should inspect the home or structure for all possible openings, and then seal them off. The most common entrance to a home for raccoons is down the chimney, or else through a window by way of the roof. Methods of preventing access include:

Trim trees and other shrubbery away from the house and roof

Secure a cap of sheet metal over the chimney outlet

Repair openings or holes in the home with heavy wire cloth or wood secured into solid substrate with screws

Electric fences may keep raccoons out of lawn and garden

Important Note: If you suspect a female raccoon or her litter may still be trapped inside your home, seal all entry points but one. This one existing opening will serve as an exit through which you can wait for the raccoon or raccoons to leave the structure before sealing it off. If you seal off ALL openings while a raccoon still exists inside, it may become trapped where you are unable to get to it and proceed to starve to death, resulting in a foul-smelling carcass. If there is a litter trapped inside and you seal the mother out, the litter will die and the mother will be inhumanely kept from her young. Be sure there are no raccoons left inside the structure before sealing off the last opening.

Step 2) Limit Food Sources

Raccoons are not going to stick around long or make your home their home unless there are enough food sources to sustain them. To limit or eliminate food sources:

Keep all trash in metal cans or bins with tight fitting lids

Regularly splash the outer sides and lids of metals cans with ammonia, since raccoons are repelled by this scent and it also covers up food smells

Weight trash can lids with something heavy like a brick to keep raccoons from removing the lid

When throwing away meat or other foods with a strong odor, double-bag them to reduce smells

Elminate as many sources of water as possible in your hard and near your home

Regularly clean up fallen fruit such as berries in your garden

If possible, cover garden crops with a cage of wire netting.

Don't leave pet food out at night

Step 3) Bait and Trap

One of the safest and most effective traps for raccoon capture is the Havahart Cage Trap Model 1079. Havahart recommends contacting the Humane Society, or the local or state game commission before setting a trap to determine the lawful method of releasing a captured wild or nuisance animal. Many species are protected by law in various states. Follow these guidelines when trapping with Havahart:

Read the instructions completely and contact the manufacturer or a pest control professional if you have any questions about its operation.

Test the trap. Spring it a few times by touching the trip plate to make sure that it works properly. If you feel the doors do not work fast enough, placing a small stone on top of the door will cause it to drop faster.

Other animals besides the target animal may get caught in the trap. If this happens, advice on releasing it safely can be obtained from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your state.

Depending on the time of year, you may trap a nursing mother and if you relocate only her, her babies will not survive. To see if you've trapped a nursing female, stand the trap on one end to observe the belly.

Traps should be washed, disinfected with a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts of water and let it remain on for 20 minutes), and thoroughly rinsed after each capture to stop the spread of any potential disease. Animals frequently defecate and urinate when captured and it is unhealthy to put bait down unless trap is cleaned thoroughly.

Step 4) Release and Removal

Once you have successfully trapped your raccoon, it is time to call the Humane Society or the local or state game commission to either direct or assist you in releasing the animal. This is important because raccoons are very aggressive animals and an inexperienced homeowner is likely to be attacked or bitten if attempting to release the raccoon without explicit direction and/or assistance from a trained wildlife professional.